Focus on better water management as CM Devendra Fadnavis rolls out contingency plan

The Ministry of Agriculture said 60 per cent farmers who had completed sowing of seeds could sustain the dry spell for a maximum of 10 more days. Fadnavis has directed the administration to press into services alternative mode for district-wise water supply in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions.

How to maximise water storage from the ongoing Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan (water conservation projects) was also discussed.

“Let us all hope rains will not play hide and seek for long. But in case the dry spell continues, we have to press the emergency plan to tackle the agriculture crisis. Effective water management will have to be stressed using both men and machines to minimise crop damages and financial and production loss to the farmers,” said the CM.

At the marathon meeting with senior officers at Mantralaya, Fadnavis discussed mechanism that would have to be deployed to facilitate lifting of water from the available sources and taking it to the fields at taluka level. To begin with, he ordered officials to procure and distribute more agriculture pumps and restore maximum electricity supply to the farming community ahead of the ongoing sowing season.

Speaking to The Indian Express, a senior official said, “The absence of rains in the last 20 to 25 days after the first showers and sowing of crops is a matter of concern. Fadnavis asked the administration to tackle the matter on emergency.”

A review of the situation across state showed almost 60 per cent fields where sowing is completed can sustain another eight to ten days of dry spell. If there are no rains, the administration will have to deploy alternative methods, including water tankers and lifting of water from nearby ponds, dams, canals and wells, to sustain the yield.

The chief minister has promised to provide the financial help to meet the contingency plan. The alternative mode of watering the fields if it does not rain in the next 10 days will have to be implemented in eight districts of Marathwada and ten districts of Vidarbha. The Western Maharashtra and Konkan with current water storage and initial rainfall can sustain the long gaps of rainfall, it was observed.

Almost 75 per cent of the cultivated land in Maharashtra is driven by and dependent on rains.

In 2014, the total rainfall recorded by the state was 70.2 per cent. The rainfall pattern saw prolonged monsoon up to October — June (24.7%), July (89.2%), August (79.5%), September (78.4%) and October (41.4%). Last year, out of the 355 talukas, 226 received deficit rainfall, 112 talukas received normal and 17 talukas received excess rainfall.

In almost 6,000 villages where water conservation projects are under way, district officials have been directed to ensure effective water management.